Originally Posted by
MarcusT
Looks like a capable bike. The two concerns I have are the short chain stays might cause heel strike with panniers and without knowing the geography of where you tour, 30X36 gearing might be a little high for a fully loaded bike on long climbs
?? Since when are 457 mm stays short?? Surly Crosscheck and Midnight Special are 430. The LHT went down 15 to 445. The wheel base is nicely long, IMO.
30x36T = 24.5 GI, yah higher than 80% or so use.
IF a 44/ 28T crank, then it's 22.5 to 115.8. Could do with a bit lower, not too bad if the bike is 70 lbs.
Mine was 120 lbs. with my Rohloff14, that was 21.8 to 114.6.
This bike is especially suited for changing to swept bars, with a long TT. Overall it's better than both Surly and Trek 520, et al. IMO. At least the rear isn't stupid thru axle. Just perfect amount of TT slope, with the stays welded as high as possible.